The invention relates to a subassembly for a cockpit of a motor vehicle, having a crossmember which extends over the width of a vehicle interior and is designed as a supporting structure.
German patent document DE 197 20 902 A1 discloses a generic subassembly for a cockpit of a vehicle having a crossmember that extends approximately over the width of a vehicle interior. At its extremities, the crossmember has means for connection to a vehicle cell, and an attachment point which is eccentric to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle for connection to a steering column.
In order to simplify the manufacturing of the cockpit subassembly and to reduce the wide variety of components used, it has been proposed, in the case of the known subassembly, that the crossmember and the attachment points form a constructional unit, and that the outer shape of the crossmember and the attachment points for connection to the passenger cell and for connection to the steering column, be symmetrical to the longitudinal central plane of the crossmember or symmetrical to the geometrical central point of the crossmember. The latter point is situated on a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and vertically above the latter. The longitudinal central plane of the crossmember is the plane which extends vertically and in the direction of the transverse axis of the vehicle and intersects the geometrical central point of the crossmember, which point is situated on a line parallel to the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and vertically above the latter.
German patent document DE 196 03 957 C2 discloses an upper crossmember of a front end part of a vehicle. The upper crossmember is composed of at least two assembly support modules which are arranged one behind the other in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the crossmember and are connected to each other. The assembly support modules are hollow profiles which consist in each case of a light metal extruded profile pressed transversely to the direction of the longitudinal axis of the support, and have a number of reinforcing ribs appropriate for the required stability of the assembly support. The assembly support modules have end regions which permit the modules to be plugged together and/or connected to one another in a clip-like manner or to adjacent hollow profiles.
European patent document EP 0 672 576 B1 discloses a constructional unit for an end wall and cockpit of a passenger vehicle. The end wall is formed as an integral composite component from drawn sheet metal and sprayed-on plastic. For this purpose, a large sheet-metal stamping is formed with relatively little finesse and has a reinforcement integrated in the sheet metal for parts that are subjected to higher loads (such as, for example, the pedal mount and the steering column suspension). The stamped sheet metal is placed into an injection molding die and encapsulated with a thermoplastic by injection molding. This makes it possible for filigree structures of the composite component to be provided for reinforcement, or mounts for add-on parts to be provided, rapidly, in a simple and standard working operation.
European patent document EP 0 247 295 B1 discloses a range of drivers' cabs for cab-over-engine trucks with drivers' cabs of various sizes which can be tipped forward. A body shell of a driver's cab is formed by a rear wall, two side walls, a front wall, a roof assembly and a floor assembly, and is supplemented by a number of standardized functional modules of identical design. The rear wall, the two side walls and the front wall are each formed by single-part sheet-metal stampings and are assembled together with the roof assembly and floor assembly. The standardized front wall is drawn rearward over the entire width at the transition to the roof region to form a roof reinforcement and below the railing line. In the lower drawn-back region, two standardized corner parts that serve as flank protection, a standardized front flap with an open-out mechanism and functional elements that can be covered by the front flap, are fastened in such a manner that wheelhouse parts and wheel covering parts, the parts of the dashboard and an entrance which can be fastened to the chassis frame completely separately from the driver's cab are provided as further standardized functional modules. At exposed points of the driver's cab, shape reinforcement members are provided, at least some of which are designed to take on additional functions.
One object of the present invention is to provide an improved embodiment of a subassembly for a cockpit of a motor vehicle.
Another object of the invention is to increase the flexibility of the production process, and the number of standardized components.
These and other objects and advantages are achieved by the subassembly according to the invention, which has a crossmember designed as a supporting structure and a dashboard, each of which has a driver's module, a central module and a front passenger's module. Adjacent modules can be fastened to one another both indirectly (by means of an adapter part) and directly. This makes it possible for the crossmember and the dashboard to be adapted to different vehicle widths by the use of varying adapter parts and, in particular, by the omission of the adapter parts. Flexibility during the production process is thus enhanced.
The respective crossmember modules and dashboard modules can be combined and assembled to form different driver's cabs depending on requirements. Different driver's cab widths can be realized in a simple manner by installing or omitting various adapter parts. Due to the modular system, each of the various drivers' cabs is composed of the driver's module, the central module and the front passenger's module and, depending on the design width, a number of different adapter parts. As a result, standardized individual components can always be used and the mounting and production costs can therefore be lowered.
At the same time, the crossmember and the dashboard, when assembled, form a pre-assembled, self-supporting reinforcement unit which can be installed in the motor vehicle and, when installed, reinforces the vehicle in the transverse direction. Due to the possibility of pre-manufacturing the individual modules, the production process is simplified and/or accelerated and the sealing problem, as occurs in the region of a lower A-pillar in the case of conventional crossmembers, is removed.
The crossmember may be designed as a tubular supporting framework, an end wall, a self-supporting railing, or a hybrid component with at least one integrated air duct. This arrangement thus offers the advantage of great flexibility and adaptability.
The modular system according to the invention, with the respective modules and/or adapter parts, can be used for different supporting structures, such as, for example, the tubular supporting framework or the self-supporting railing. The functionality of the invention is further enhanced by integration of various add-on parts (for example, the abovementioned air duct), in the respective modules and/or adapter parts. In this case, the modules and/or the adapter parts expediently have identical interfaces which are mutually compatible, and add-on parts which continue a function, for example air guidance, of the adjacent modules can be added to the adapter parts. As a result, it can be ensured, during the assembly of the crossmember and of the dashboard, that corresponding structures which are integrated into the crossmember are continued with an accurate fit for different drivers' cab widths.
In one particularly favorable embodiment of the invention, the crossmember and/or the adapter parts are of lightweight construction. Hollow profiles or extruded profiles of aluminum and/or plastic and combinations of metallic materials with plastic foamed around them, or of other composite materials are especially suitable in this regard. The power consumption of a motor vehicle is directly associated with the vehicle weight to be moved. By means of an appropriately lightweight construction and incorporation of abovementioned materials, it is possible to reduce the inherent weight of the vehicle and therefore to save fuel.
It goes without saying that the features mentioned above, and those which have yet to be explained below, can be used not only in the respectively stated combination but also in other combinations or on their own without departing from the framework of the present invention.
Preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention are illustrated in the drawings and are explained in more detail in the description below, with the same reference numbers referring to the same or similar or functionally identical components.